Wimborne’s first-ever Food Festival saw nearly 10,000 visitors descend on the town on Saturday, enjoying the sunshine, food stalls, and live entertainment.

Spread across three sites, the event showcased the best of local food and drink, with highlights including free samples, live demos, and entertainment from Radio Wimborne and children’s activities provided by Little Gizmos.

Dorset’s Seaside Baker and former Great British Bake-Off contestant Maggie Richardson was one of the stars of the event.

Marggie Richardson of Bake off and Sonnaz Nooranvary from Repair Shop judged the Dorset Apple Cake competition.

In the ‘Foodie Tent’, Maggie delighted audiences with behind-the-scenes stories from her time on the show.

Meanwhile, Michael Russell, head pastry chef at Le Petit Prince Patisserie, shared insights into baking for royalty and former Prime Minister John Major. Local author and chef Yayu Slocock had mouths watering with her Indonesian food demonstration.

Mike Russell demonstrates his cooking.

Local businesses were thrilled with the turnout. Michelle Trimmer from Beaucroft Beverages, known for distilling Minster Gin and Vodka, was particularly pleased: “This Festival is all about local food and drink specialists, and it was great for Wimborne businesses like mine to be supported in such a positive way. The turnout was way better than we expected.”

Dorset’s Basi Cake Creations also experienced a fantastic response. Owner Dylan Cooper said: “My wife had to go home and start baking for tomorrow’s event because we’ve sold out completely today.”

East Street and Church Street were closed to traffic, transforming into buzzing hubs of activity.

Butcher Paul Keating served up hundreds of handmade beefburgers, while award-winning East Street Deli quickly sold out of their ‘Festival Cheese’ cones. Co-owner Simon Warren remarked: “We’ve been relentlessly busy, and the vibe has been wonderful.”

East Street Deli on East Street.

The alfresco dining scene was equally popular on Church Street, with Lee Green, owner of Ten Bottles, commenting: “The atmosphere with the live music and people dining outside has been amazing.”

The festival’s success was attributed to the collaboration of local businesses and support from Wimborne BID. Matt Renaut, Managing Director of Dacombes of Wimborne and festival sponsor, said: “We’ve worked hard to bring this together, and we hope it becomes an annual event.”

The festival also featured a Dorset Apple Cake competition, judged by Maggie Richardson and BBC’s Repair Shop star Sonnaz Nooranvary. Sonnaz, who judged 18 cakes, said: “I’m more of an eater than a baker, but this was great fun!”

The winning cake, created by local resident Jo Stanley, was still warm when it was entered. Jo won £150 worth of Neff cooking pans, courtesy of Dacombes of Wimborne. Maggie, impressed by the entry, said: “The sponge was just right, the apples distributed fairly – a proper, traditional Dorset apple cake.”